The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1887-04-21
TIE INNER MAN.
Variety of Tastes Among the Peoples of
Various Portions OF the Earth.

Variety of Tastes Among the Peoples of
Various Portions or the Earth.
The variety of food which has proved
acceptable I'd various appetites and doe.
tfines is an object of some curious
study. Long ago shell-fish, that reliance
of the modern housekeeper. was for
bidd Ell to the Jews. On the contrary,
the r omans knew The charms of the
oyster, as certain people do to-day of
the snail; that knowledge. however,
speaks little for their good taste, for
one of their most favorite condiments
was sauce made of unclean portions
IF fish when id putiid state, to be re-
jected in disgust to-day; and yet, accord
ing to one of their ancient laws, poultry
was an article of food held in abhor-
renee by them. Again. the Jews wero
forbidden to use the blood of any meat.
and particular and peculiar methods
were employed at the slaughter to pre-
vent the remaining of any excess of
blood in the carcass; but the American
to-day wants the blood to follow the knife
in the carving of his beef and mutton,
and the bloody gravy is thought by
the careful nurse to be the best life
giving agent 70 invalid and child. Mean
while, nothing would tempt the Brahniin
to eat beef, and the Chinese rarely at
tempt it-indeed, the poorer classes
hover; but they prize the delicacy of
little live crab that one has TO chase
about the table, and earth worms and
dogs, and cats, AMI rats, and mice are
part of the Customary bills of fare.
Pork also was forbidden to the Jew
aud to the Mohammedan bat where
you'd much of or savory cookery be
to-day without it, and what would be-
come of one of the greatest industries of
our Western country were pork forbid
den to us? There are many. however,
even AMONG ourselves, who feel that it
should be an article forbidden to all and
replaced by something more wholesome
the scrofulous character of the animal
furnishing it, and his usually unclean
habits, rendering it undesirable. Yet
while the majority of consumers think
otherwise, the pork packing establish
ments of the country will not
tremble to their foundations. Another
questionable provision of food is
found in the French markets oc-
casionally, but has not yet forced
itself upon the public fancy otherwhere;
and that is not frogs legs, but horse
flesh. The general householder is not
able, whether from prejudice or princi-
pie, to bring himself to try it; and we
shall perhaps be done altogether with
the eating of meat before the effort be-
comes at all sucrcsSful. Still, very
strange viands are in request among
strange people. The native South
African loves Il slice of roast elephant;
the wild hunter of South Africa fancies
a drilled monkey; some Eastern people
have passion for the flavor of asa
fetida, as the people of the Me1iter-
ranean shores have for that of garlic;
and many among ourselves find the
swapping turtle of our wayside bitches
only next to the terrapin in delicious
ness. Meantime in the warmer climates
there are many people who do not
know the taste Of meat at all. What
rice is to the East Indian-his mainstay
and support; what cabbages, -four, pork
and potatoes are to our own millions,
the fruit of the plantain is to
untold millions on the South Sea
Islands and their neighboring shores,
where tits eaten raw and roasted, baked
and boiled and fried. and in its variety
never satiates and tires, and keeps
whole races we'll fed an d healthy. With
millions of laboring people. too, in the
British Islands, beans and peas, oat
meal and coarse wheat meal take the
place of meat, which latter is not par
taken of twice year, and these vege-
table productions seem to have con-
tinued in comparative well being a re-
markably strong and sturdy branch of
the human family. This may go to
prove that life can be sustained W it'll
out such strong aliment as meat affords,
while the lavish supply of the meat
market in our own country and our
own generation may be the reason for
the lavish use of the patent medicine
bottle. Yet it is not so likely that
it is healthier to dispense with
meat rs that only the strongest of
the British agricultural laborer has
survived and increased under the dis
pensing regimen. 1t seems to be toler-
ably evident that what people are ac-
customed to eat from infancy, that is
the food they prefer. The Esqtimaux
loves his repulsive train oil, and would
not relish our most dainty morsel so
much as good dish of blubber; and
the fishing people who cook sea-weed
would not Thank us for dish of the
most delicate junket or sea moss farina
that we could set before them. 1t is all
matter of taste, and yet the odd
thing about it is that we hold differ
ence of opinion in the matter to be
something contemplate, if not GRIM
inal. And perhaps the fishing tribe
who do not eat the fish until it loads
the neighboring air with foulness are
not too heedlessly to be censured by
the epicure who does not eat the game
bird till. having been hung up by tho
tail, it falls of itself from the hook,
and leaves its feathers behind 1.-THE
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